Egg whites? Why not the whole egg?

13

Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    keep the yolks and make carbonara :) (you will probably not be able to eat anything else that day though =D)

    i don't do egg whites but i can see that its a good way to get in more protein without the fat, for other people.
  • Carmella9
    Carmella9 Posts: 171 Member
    Why do people complicate things!

    Diet books use egg whites without the yolk because it means eating a lot less calories if you just eat the white!
    Probably quicker and less waist full to buy the carton of egg whites.
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    I usually switch between egg whites and whole eggs, depending on my mood or the amount of calories I have left for my day. Whenever I choose to consume egg whites, I usually prefer to use the cartons to avoid wasting the yolk. I recall reading an article about how when companies sell egg whites, they sell the yolks to other companies so that they may be used for dishes which don't use egg whites, such as Crème brûlée. Some people (and companies such as Burger King) also choose to purchase cartons of yolks, without the egg whites. So if you decide to use egg whites from a carton, you shouldn't really have to worry too much about wasting any part of the egg. Just focus on what's healthy for you :)
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Calorie saving while still getting to eat nice big omelettes, egg sandwiches, or whatever. I don't do it myself -- the yolk is my favorite part of the egg so I just stick to one or two in order to keep calories down -- but it's certainly not a bizarre decision to make.

    Someone else would probably be horribly confused about why I use lemon & beet juice as salad dressings instead of "getting the good fats" in olive oil. I bet we all do one or two things that go against conventional nutrition wisdom in order to fit what we like into our goals. It's really not that difficult to understand.
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
    WHY? Well, unless people have a medical reason to avoid them, or simply a taste preference, I'd say it is the over-emphasis on MACROs. I mean, Macros matter, of course, but not at the expense of MICROnutrients. Just because a person may get the right amount of fat/carbs/protein a day does not mean they are getting everything they need or that they are "healthy."
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    For everyone saying that the yolk contains Vitamin A, B6, calcium, Mg (barely any), Iron, B12....so does my multivitamin which has 0 calories.
    That doesn't count for the "clean eating" crowd, because... um... it doesn't.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Egg whites are lower in calories but still have protein so sometimes people use egg whites instead of the whole egg when losing weight. If I use egg whites I save the egg yolk in the fridge for something else later. But I usually just eat a whole egg LOL. Unless a recipe calls for egg whites.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    For everyone saying that the yolk contains Vitamin A, B6, calcium, Mg (barely any), Iron, B12....so does my multivitamin which has 0 calories.
    That doesn't count for the "clean eating" crowd, because... um... it doesn't.

    lol clean eating
    IKR? :laugh: As if all my fruits and veggies are magically converted into ho-hos if I wash them down with Coke Zero! Sorta like my special water-only stomach! :grumble:
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    Usually I eat one whole egg and a couple of whites and give a couple yolks to my dogs. It gives them really soft shiny fur and they love it and less calories for me. And I'm not wasting anything.

    Plus, if I'm eating hard boiled eggs, I love the taste/texture of the white and hate the yolks.
  • carlom18
    carlom18 Posts: 174 Member
    Hey Lorelei,

    I just had an omelette for lunch. I used 5 x egg whites and 1 whole egg. The reason that I do this is that I have limited calories for the day to use (around 1500-1600) and I like to eat a lot of food. So if I use egg whites, I get a big fluffy omelette that really fills me up, and is high in protein but with less calories than if I used 6 eggs. I like my macros for the day to be around 150g protein; 100g carbs; 50g fat, so it works for that combination as well.

    My omelette was about 330 calories. However if I used 5-6 whole eggs it would have been about 600-700 calories.

    I'm not at all worried about the cholesterol, as I dont think eating cholesterol gives you cholesterol.

    And yes, I do throw out the yolks (I've never purchased eggs any other way but in their shells), to me that's just like cutting fat off meat, yes, it's probably a waste, if I had some way to use them, like make mayonaise, I would, but I don't use mayonaise!!

    you could buy pasteurized egg whites/ egg white beaters. its the same thing in a carton with no yolk. may subtract more from your bank though =P
  • leahgoldgirl
    leahgoldgirl Posts: 61 Member
    Unless you have a cholesterol issue, are eating several eggs a day or are really looking to limit your calories, eat the whole d*mn egg.

    The yolk has a good portion of the nutrients in an egg, an egg isn't a complete protein without them, and one a day isn't going to kill you, in most cases.

    For the people who are heckling the clean eating crowd, it is better to get your nutrients from food than it is from supplements, especially if those supplements are not food derived, because many of those vitamins might not be soluble. If you can't cover most of your nutritional needs within your daily calorie allowance, it is the first sign that you aren't eating a healthy diet. For people on a site called myfitnesspal, that should matter. Pounds aren't the only important thing when it comes to leading a fit lifestyle.
  • egh1974
    egh1974 Posts: 147
    I always separate eggs. Whites for meringues, yolks for carbonara sauce, om nom nom :smile:

    this carbonara recipe needs to find its way to my inbox :flowerforyou:
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
    it is all about cutting calories while still having protein. If you feel wasteful throwing away the yolk, save it and make a nutrient-rich hair masque.

    This is exactly what I do.

    On the weekend, I'll have 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites for breakfast after a workout. For me, one egg yolk is enough. I usually save the yolk to use with my hair conditioner for later.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Unless you have a cholesterol issue, are eating several eggs a day or are really looking to limit your calories, eat the whole d*mn egg.

    The yolk has a good portion of the nutrients in an egg, an egg isn't a complete protein without them, and one a day isn't going to kill you, in most cases.

    For the people who are heckling the clean eating crowd, it is better to get your nutrients from food than it is from supplements, especially if those supplements are not food derived, because many of those vitamins might not be soluble. If you can't cover most of your nutritional needs within your daily calorie allowance, it is the first sign that you aren't eating a healthy diet. For people on a site called myfitnesspal, that should matter. Pounds aren't the only important thing when it comes to leading a fit lifestyle.

    Pounds are the only thing important to me...


    But way to generalize everyone on this site. i forgot we all had the same goals.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    I'm with you: I can't stand the waste of throwing out one and keeping the other but I suspect most people who do egg whites are buying them already separated.

    Also the yolk is the best part!
    For everyone saying that the yolk contains Vitamin A, B6, calcium, Mg (barely any), Iron, B12....so does my multivitamin which has 0 calories.
    That doesn't count for the "clean eating" crowd, because... um... it doesn't.
    Some nutrients are better absorbed from food than a vitamin. Some are fat soluable. It's not all about clean eating, but if you've got a whole food that has vitamins in it, why cut the vitamins just to take them later? I know people have their reasons and can eat what they want, but I'd rather have two whole eggs for under 200 cal's than mess around with egg whites.
  • degan2011
    degan2011 Posts: 316 Member
    http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Nutrient-Content-of-1-Large-Egg.pdf

    Not sure why my link codes don't work , but the above shows a comparison of all nutritional content in the whole egg vs just the whites. :)
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    I have been eating 2- 3 whole eggs a day for almost a year and my blood results came back and my cholesterol is NORMAL....don't believe the hype ...eggs yolks are full of nutrients and are healthy :)
  • PennStateChick
    PennStateChick Posts: 327 Member
    Well, I am allergic to egg yolks, so I don't eat them for health reasons. However, I do buy the whole egg and separate them because it is SO much cheaper than buying Egg Whites.

    Also, Egg Whites are Egg Whites - what do you think the company does with the yolks when they put your egg white in a carton?

    Anyhow, not the point, I separate my egg whites and egg yolks - make an egg white omelette for myself and feed my dog the yolks. She gets pretty excited when she hears me cracking eggs these days.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Since the yolk is the food for the developing bird, it makes sense that it has more nutrients.

    I eat the whole egg. I really don't like the yolks, but I can stand them if they are mixed with the whites.
  • medic2038
    medic2038 Posts: 434 Member
    I have been eating 2- 3 whole eggs a day for almost a year and my blood results came back and my cholesterol is NORMAL....don't believe the hype ...eggs yolks are full of nutrients and are healthy :)

    That's because dietary cholesterol has almost nothing at all to do with serum cholesterol, why about 99% of MDs can't figure this out is beyond me. I agree though, all the good stuff in the egg is in the yolk.

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